| Saturday, 12th | Fearful nignt. Lightning. Severe gale. Ship rolling and plunging, also taking green seas. | ||
| ⚪ | Sunday, 13th | Horrid day. We have been bursting the sails all day and bending new ones. | |
| Tuesday, 15th | Crossed the line tonight. The decks have been swimming with green seas for the last 80 days. This is the first day they have tried to dry at all. | ||
| Friday, 18th | Terribly hot. Sweat was poring off me in ounces. I lay down on deck tonight, but could not rise as the tar was running all over the decks, and I was stuck fast. | ||
| Saturday, 19th | Terrific heat. Dare not put your bare foot on the deck. Tar running all around. Always sleep on deck now. | ||
| Sunday, 20th | Rigged auning on fo'c'stle head. Calm, beautiful day. | ||
| Monday, 21st | Had to walk the poop from 2-4 this morning for not keeping time right. Up aloft a lot looking for land. We have to wet the decks down every night. Every night all of us always take a cold bathe, in the beef tub for'id and throw buckets of water over each other. | ||
| Thursday, 24th | We play a lot of tricks on the steward, especially the mate, such as tying a string to his pillow, blanket, ect. ect. What a difference from this Christmas Eve from any other I have ever had. Nothing to look forward to, just the same as any other day. I can hardly believe it is so near Christmas. It is so blessed hot. Caught two sharks today, one about 8 feet long, the other about 6 feet. Afternoon watch on deck I was cleaning skull for mate. I have to get the next one caught by him. What a stormy night it looks! All around the horizon the ink black clouds seem to come right round the ship. There seems to be an awful silence reigning. Not a breath of wind. The vessel lying helpless, and the heat is almost suffocating. | ||
| Friday, 25th | What a miserable Christmas this has been. This morning we furled the mainsail, and it has been raining off and on. Ship rolling a lot. Could not lie out on deck. Our holliday was a proper “stand by” day. The whole day and night we were continually shifting the yards about. Christmas dinner consisted of Plum duff, and hash. The plum duff only consisted of flour and some currants, which look like as if they had been droped from the royal yard. Our tea consisted of Hard tuck and a mug of tea without sugar. The sugar never can last longer than Wednesday. Day was spent reading, and lying in bunk. Tonight it is pitch dark. Can see almost as well with your eyes closed as you can with them open. Furled Royals and F Topgallant sail. Took in all Jibs and staysails. Early this morning a large 3 masted ship bore down on us, and passed astern within 50 yards. She was going towards Frisco. I could not help often comparing my lot with all you ones at home. I wished you all a very happy Christmas. | ||
| Tuesday, 29th | There have been some of the most curious rain showers I have ever seen today. Some round like a circle and others coming up with a great racket, and only being half a dozen yards broard. | ||
| ⚪ | Thursday, 31st | One of the worst days I have yet experienced. We knocked off deck work about 10 a.m. and then “Stood by”. Took Royals and topgallants in. A storm is fast approaching. At quarter to three the cry of “All hands on deck” was given, with the result that our watch had to turn out in a hurry. We then furled the Fore and main upper topsails, also the Fore sail. The wind got so strong that before 8 bells we had to “heave to” and put the wheel tackles on. A very high sea running in all directions. At 8 bells (8 p.m.) we furled Fore lower topsail. We are now only under main lower topsail. It is now a living gale with a blinding rain, which gives you rock as you stand and face it. At the wheel for 2 hours. Ship is rolling terribly. Water rushing all around the decks. All night we have been bailing out our house, but still there is a lot of water in it. No need of “ringing the old year out”. It is blowing it out as hard as it can. I wish it was not in such a hurry. Everything in the house has been adrift. Started good old lee wheels again. | |
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